Inside the Miami Marlins with MLB.com beat writer Joe FrisaroTwitter

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The Marlins on Sunday morning offered Rule 5 claim Jorge Jimenez back to the Red Sox.

Jimenez was obtained from the Astros as part of the Matt Lindstrom trade in December. The Astros picked Jimenez off Boston’s Double-A roster and sent him to Florida, where he was competing for a third base job.

With Jimenez out of camp, the Marlins now appear to be leaning toward Gaby Sanchez winning the first base job. One scenario was for Jimenez to win the third base job, which would have meant Jorge Cantu would switch back to first base.

Now, Cantu appears to be remaining at third base.

For a Rule 5 pick to remain with a club, he must be on the active roster. The Marlins didn’t feel the left-handed hitting third baseman fit their plans. He had 18 at-bats in Spring Training.

To purchase a Rule 5 pick at the Major League phase is $50,000. If he is returned, the cost is $25,000. So the cost for Jimenez was $25,000 for Florida

Among the teams the Marlins have had at least preliminary discussions about Uggla are the Orioles.

The Marlins are believed to be seeking pitching prospects in return for their two-time All-Star second baseman.

Along with Baltimore, the Giants remain interested in the 29-year-old who is coming off a season where he belted 31 home runs and drove in 90.

With Brian Roberts at second base in Baltimore, Uggla would be a candidate to switch to third base, a position he hasn’t played in four big league seasons. Uggla played third base in the Minor Leagues.

Indications at the Winter Meetings were that Uggla will wind up with an American League club, unless a deal with the Giants can be worked out. There also is a feeling that there aren’t too many club seriously interested in Uggla, a former Rule 5 claim from Arizona.

Ideally, the Marlins would like to deal Uggla at the Winter Meetings, but the team is prepared to hang on to the slugger for at least a few more weeks if their isn’t a fit that makes sense.

Earlier in the day on Monday, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said the team had not yet had discussions with the Marlins about Uggla.

Marlins officials arrived in Indianapolis later in the afternoon and in the early evening, and the organization began measuring interest in Uggla later in the night.

The Marlins also are in discussions with multiple clubs, as many as 10, for relievers Renyel Pinto and Matt Lindstrom.

Expect changes on the Marlins roster in 2010. Also expect to have two prominent every day players back.

The Marlins are prepared to take on the contracts of Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross.

Since the end of this past season, Ross was projected to return. Nothing has changed in the Marlins thinking.

Ross comes off his most productive season, batting .270 with a career high for home runs (24) and RBIs (90).

The left-handed thrower and right-handed batter can play all three outfield spots. If Cameron Maybin isn’t ready to take over in center field, Ross is the likely choice there. If Maybin is healthy, Ross will slide over to right field.

Eligible for arbitration, Ross made $2.225 million in 2009. He is entering his second season of arbitration.

With the Winter Meetings set to begin on Monday in Indianapolis, there promise to be speculation involving a number of Florida players. Cantu likely will be one of them.

Don’t look for Cantu, however, to be on the move. The 27-year-old drove in 100 runs batting cleanup behind Hanley Ramirez. Cantu made $3.5 million in ’09, and he will be entering his final year of arbitration.

Cantu projects to start at either first base or third base, depending on whether Logan Morrison or Gaby Sanchez wins a starting job in Spring Training. Both prospects play first base.

The Marlins payroll projects to be under $40 million in 2010. A year ago, it was at $36 million. A round ballpark number would be $38 million when all is said and done.

In all, the Marlins have 11 players eligible for arbitration, including relievers Renyel Pinto, Matt Lindstrom and Leo Nunez. All three are in their first seasons of arbitration. Chances are two of the three will be traded.

For years, the Marlins have shown they can remain competitive while spending carefully.

They will be continuing that trend in 2010.

Payroll for the upcoming season will be in the neighborhood of $36 million, or slightly lower.

In 2009, the Marlins finished second in the N.L. East, winning 87 games with a $36 million roster. So expect salaries to again to be in that range.

Hanley Ramirez will enter the second season of his six-year contract. The National League’s batting champ will make $7 million in ’10 after he just collected $5.5 million.

Because a number of key players are up for arbitration, player movement is inevitable. On Thursday, outfielder Jeremy Hermida was dealt to the Red Sox for two left-handed pitching prospects.

Hermida made $2.25 million in ’09, and he will see his salary raise.

The General Managers’ meetings begin on Monday, and the Marlins expect to be active in trade talks.

Dan Uggla, who made $5.35 million this year, will likely see he salary raise to the $7 million range. Anticipate Uggla to attract plenty of trade interest.

Jorge Cantu ($3.5 million in ’09) may also be shopped. Indications are Cody Ross will be back.

Look for the Marlins to allocate their dollars towards pitching. Josh Johnson ($1.4 million in ’09) is expected to be offered a long term contract. However, preliminary discussions on a multiyear deal have not begun. They could get underway this week.

Johnson’s 2010 salary, even if he signs a long-term contract, could be about $4 million.

Ricky Nolasco made $2.4 million this year, and likely is headed to a $3 million pay day.

The Marlins also will have to make decisions regarding relievers Leo Nunez, Renyel Pinto and Matt Lindstrom. All three are entering arbitration for the first time. All three could be targets to be moved.

Marlins reliever Matt Lindstrom, on the disabled list since June 24 with a right elbow sprain, will pitch in a rehab assignment game for Class A Jupiter on Saturday.

The hard-throwing right-hander tossed a simulated game in Jupiter on Wednesday.

If all goes well, he could join the Marlins in early August, perhaps when the team heads to Washington for a three-game set beginning on Aug. 4.

“The final test will be when he goes back-to-back,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

After throwing on Saturday, he could pitch again on Monday for Jupiter. From there, he would pitch every second or third day before being used in back-to-back games.

Lindstrom last pitched for the Marlins on June 23. In 32 games, he has 14 saves in 16 chances.

When he’s ready to return, it’s not automatic that he will close. At least immediately, Gonzalez said on Friday that he’s leaning towards easing Lindstrom back.

“We may ease him into it,” Gonzalez said. “I think it’s only fair for him and to the team.”

Because of the long layoff, the Marlins want Lindstrom to get sharp. Gonzalez says pitching rehab assignments is different than, say, facing hitters like Manny Ramirez.

So the thinking is to get Lindstrom work in a setup role, the sixth, seventh or eighth innings. In the meantime, Leo Nunez remains the primary closer option, with Dan Meyer being a left-handed alternative.

In other injury-related news, right-hander Anibal Sanchez is lined up to throw 50 pitches on Tuesday in a Gulf Coast League game. On the DL with a right shoulder sprain, retroactive to June 3, Sanchez threw 45 pitches in a simulated game on Wednesday.

The team is in no rush to get Sanchez back. And he isn’t an option to join the rotation when a fifth starter is added either July 31 or Aug. 1.

Phone calls are being made, and the Marlins certainly are looking to improve themselves before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

For now, whether anything gets done is a wait-and-see proposal.

“We don’t want to take away, we’d like to add,” Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said.

The Marlins feel they are very much in the National League East race, and specifically, they’d like to add relief help. If a closer could be obtained, they’d be interested.

“We’d like to improve just like all the other teams looking to improve,” Beinfest said. “We recognize, we’re heading into the All-Star Break, and we’re in the race for the division. So you want to see what’s out there to improve yourself the best you can.

“There are so many teams in it, that it’s tough to make trades. They don’t want to take from their team. They want to add to it. In terms of your prospects, you have a threshold on what to give and not to give.”

Closer Matt Lindstrom is on the disabled list with a right elbow sprain. Beinfest is not optimistic that the right-hander will be back by the July 31 trade deadline.

“We’ll make due with what we have,” Beinfest said of the bullpen. “Those are good arms, and by and large, they’ve done a good job. We’d like to get Matt back. We hope he’s on the mound here in the next week or so, and start that progression.”

With Lindstrom, Beinfest added: “I don’t know. We’ll see the progression. We’ll have him on the mound, and we’ll have a better idea. You can deal with what if? But we’ll look at everything, and move on, and hope that he comes back.”

Recently, the Marlins signed veteran right-hander Luis Ayala to a Minor League contract. Ayala could help the team after the Break, after he gets some work in the Minor Leagues.

In terms of possible trades, Beinfest said the landscape changes daily.

“We’ll see what happens. It changes from day to day,” he said. “An injury today, or something happens. Or you have a bad week. You’re in. You’re out. It always gets dicey when you get to the end of the month.”

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